Follow Baptist Church
Ps Luke Williams
Sunday January 7th, 2018

Psalms Series (1)
“Life Real”
“The Shepherd and the Sheep”
Message Notes

TEXT: Psalm 23

Introduction:


Today we are starting the series with my favourite Psalm: Psalm 23.
· It’s easily the most popular Psalm in the Bible, by both people of faith and people who profess no faith at all.
· A quick Google search and you’ll find a list of current music artists who have quoted Psalms in their songs:
Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, U2, Coolio , Tupac, Marilyn Manson, Kanye West and Megadeath.
JUST TO PUT YOUR MIND AT EASE….Won’t find many of them on the Follow Playlist on Spotify!

But…it does highlight that it is a very well-known Psalm and I think there is good reason for that. The imagery used in this Psalm and the promises found within it, are nothing short of stunning.

For me Psalm 23 is my go to passage when life is difficult and I find that I don’t read it as much as I meditate on it. As I meditate on Psalm 23 Each line within the Psalm brings amazing comfort in every season of life. I find myself literally being calmed by the Holy Spirit as I read verse by verse.

Today I want to try and capture that and I want this message to be
meditative and there will be times where I pause for 30 seconds to a minute and let me warn you…it will feel uncomfortable because we often don’t make space in our lives to pause and reflect.
As we pause, you might want to close your eyes or bow your heads and I would encourage you to meditate on the words and allow them to wash over you and trust the Holy Spirit to bring refreshment and comfort as we prepare for a New year.
Before we get to that….I think we need to talk about Sheep and shepherds.

Let’s start with sheep. 3 things I thing you should know about sheep.
DUMB:
· A couple of years ago there was a shepherd in Turkey and he had a flock of 400 hundred sheep.
· However, the shepherd had endured enough of life and he wanted to end it and so he walked off the edge of a cliff, plunging to his death and if he didn’t die instantly he soon would have been crushed to death as his 400 sheep blindly followed him over the edge.
· Sheep are dumb.
DIRECTIONLESS:
· Sheep are prone to wander and they seem to lack any sense of direction or any sort of purpose in life. There are times where they simply just wander off, which is exactly why they need a shepherd.
· Sheep are directionless
DEFENCELESS
· Sheep can’t fight. Can’t defend themselves. Completely vulnerable to the predators that surround them and left to fight for themselves they will be Roast Lamb in no time!
· The sheep will not survive without a Shepherd.
· Sheep are defenseless.

Q. Consider all of that and now ask yourself the question: Who are the sheep in this passage?....

What the passage is highlighting is that if we are sheep, we desperately need a shepherd.
Let’s talk about the Shepherd.
Interesting fact: This Psalm was written by David after he had become King of Israel.
· David started off as a shepherd boy.
· You may remember the story when David was anointed King.
· David was one of 7 brothers and the prophet Samuel went to his Father Jesse and asked him to bring out all of his sons as one was to be anointed as King.
· Jesse bought out his 6 oldest sons but didn’t bother to bring David because he was the youngest but he was also merely a shepherd boy.
· How could he possibly be King? But Samuel called for Him and said David is the one.
· Becoming King was a massive upgrade on being a shepherd boy.
· Shepherd was seen as the lowest job you could possibly have. A job for commoners working with stinky, dumb, directionless, defenseless sheep.

We know that God is often described as the King in Scripture BUT here in this beautiful Psalm that describes who Jesus is, David doesn’t describe Him as King, but instead describes Him as a Shepherd.

David knew that the Lord was the King of the earth and everything in it. Why would he describe him as a Shepherd?
He knew intimately what a shepherd was like.
A Shepherd lived with his flock and everyone else might see sheep as useless animals BUT not the shepherd. The shepherd loves his sheep
Protects them, he will fight for them, tend to them and care for them and if necessary He will lay his life down for his sheep.

And for a shepherd he intimately knows His sheep. He knows them by name.

New Baby Illustration:



Q. If it’s hard to tell kids apart how much harder is it to tell sheep apart?
· That’s why we say if you can’t sleep count sheep…Because they all look exactly the same! One, two, zzzzzz….
· For us, they’re just sheep. But not for a shepherd. Every one of them is unique and every one of them is precious.
· In Matthew 18 Jesus tells the story of the Shepherd that has 100 sheep and when one of them wanders off, he doesn’t say “Dumb sheep- I’ve got 99 more where that came from” He leaves the 99 and goes to rescue the 1 because He loves each and every sheep.

Q. Who are the sheep in this passage? You and me!

It’s fascinating that Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd
JOHN 10: “I am the Good Shepherd. I know the sheep and they know me and I lay my life down for the sheep’.
· Here’s the stunning thing. Jesus the great shepherd doesn’t just fight for his sheep as the shepherd but in order to save them he becomes one of them. He humbles himself even to death, death on a cross.
· The Good and Great Shepherd, himself becomes the perfect spotless Lamb of God who dies for the sins of the world.

Sheep might be dumb, but did you know that they don’t forget faces?
They know who their shepherd is AND SO MEDITATE ON THAT THIS MORNING.
You may want to close your eyes but ALLOW this truth to permeate your soul this morning.

VERSE 1: The Lord is MYShepherd
When we’re doing dumb things, when we don’t know what direction to go, when we can’t defend ourselves any longer, He loves us.
The Lord is MY Shepherd

VERSE 1:The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
I love that thought, BUT I must say I like the more traditional version better.
· It says The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want!
· I like it more because I think it carries a double meaning depending on the emphasis you use. It works as both a declaration and a decision.

Firstly, it can mean I lack nothing because the Lord provides our needs.
Matthew 6:33 Jesus reminds us not to worry about our lives. Don’t stress about what to eat or drink OR what to wear. Seek first the KOG and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. The Lord is my Shepherd so I shall not want.

But it can also be a declaration that we will make a deliberate decision not to want more than what he provides.
POWERFUL because one of the reasons we struggle to rest in the Lord is that we have an insatiable desire for more.
Get money – we want more money.
One car- need a faster and better one
Job- Need a promotion
House- got to be bigger
The world tells us, that’s what’s needed to be successful (keep moving up the rungs), BUT IT NEVER SATISFIES. So, we have this constant striving that the book of Ecclesiastes describes as meaningless and we’re never content, it’s never enough, we work ourselves to exhaustion, we rack up debt, which builds stress in our lives and so maybe in 2018 the Holy Spirit is convicting you to meditate on these words.

I shall not want

VERSE 2: He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides still waters, HE restores my soul.

Botanical Gardens Illustration:
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I can only imagine what it was like for sheep in the Ancient Near East; the shepherds weren’t operating in a botanical Garden like landscape. It was dry, dusty and rocky…. and grass, in the summer months particularly, was difficult to find. Sheep = Directionless- would never find it.

The sheep didn't need to know where the green pastures or still waters were; all they needed to know was where the shepherd was. The shepherd would guide the sheep to what they needed.
· They relied on the Shepherd to guide them to green pastures and still water and he would have to provide the right conditions for the sheep because they don’t know when to rest (DUMB) and they don’t sit down easily.
· The words He makes me lie down…gave me the initial visual of a shepherd pushing down the backside of reluctant sheep, as I do when I try and get my disobedient bull terrier to sit.
Phillip Keller’s explanation is helpful here: “sheep do not lie down easily, and will not unless four conditions are met. Because they are timid they will not lie down if they are afraid. Because they are social animals they will not lie down if there is friction among the sheep. If flies or parasites trouble them they will not lie down. Finally, if sheep are anxious about food or hungry they will not lie down. Rest comes because the shepherd has dealt with fear, friction, flies, and famine”

It’s not just about making sheep sit down, it’s providing the right environment for them to do it safely.
That’s what the Lord does for us as well. We don’t always know what’s best for ourselves BUT Jesus does. He says: 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

At the start of 2018 are you tired? Has your passion waned? Are you feeling dry and warn out?
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides still waters, HE restores my soul.

VERSE 3: He guides me along paths of righteousness, for His names sake.
I think all of us need to remind ourselves from time to time that we’re not the Great I am- GOD IS!
Often, we SAY that we are serving God for His sake BUT when we peel back the layers of religious language what is revealed is a heart that strives for recognition. A servant who wants everyone to know everything they do. A life that is lived for their own sake, not God’s.
Q. Are you wanting to be God and make it all about you, OR are you wanting to serve God and make it all about Him?
At the start of a New Year it is good to re-evaluate our motives to see if they line up with our Church mission to Follow Jesus, in our community for His glory.
He guides me along paths of righteousness, for His names sake.

VERSE 4: Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
What I know about a shadow is that a shadow only exists if there’s a light.
Though I walk through the valley of the SHADOW of death I will fear no evil for you are with me.
Jesus is the light of the world. There is not a single trial or trouble or season or a crisis or a tragedy or darkness where you will ever walk alone because Jesus will be with you always.
I’ll tell you what else I love about this part of the passage.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Not running, not screaming, not panicking. Walking.
We don’t sit there, we don’t stay there, we don’t dwell in the valley of the shadow of death….AS I WALK THROUGH!!
As I walk through…..the valley of the shadow of death.

Are you going through a dark season-Do you feel like you’ve stumbled? Are you dwelling in a dark place? Have you given up? Don’t give up- Get up. Get going. You can do this! Why?
Because the Lord your God is with you.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Josh. 1:9

though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me

VERSE 4: Your staff and rod, they comfort me.
Some commentators think it’s talking about two separate weapons but MOST commentators agree it is likely to be one. It is a long wooden staff that the shepherd uses to gently guide the sheep to pastures and streams of water…BUT the gentle staff can also quickly turn into a lethal weapon when danger comes.
The Shepherd uses it to fend off the wolf, the lion and the bear.

This reminds me of God’s character. He’s the Lion and He’s the Lamb. He’s the Shepherd and He’s the King.
· There isn’t one analogy to describe him because He’s everything we need.
· He is what we need Him to be, when we need it the most.
· What an awesome Saviour!

Shepherd is always Guiding us:
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heartand lean not on your own understanding;6in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight.
Shepherd is always protecting us:
Deuteronomy 20:4 "For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."
Exodus 14: The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us?"

Are you concerned about the future? Are you looking for direction in your life? Do you feel under attack? Are there people who are troubling you? Do you feel like the enemy is wearing you down?

Your staff and rod, they comfort me.

VERSE 5: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
I love that the end destination is not the valley, it’s the table.
We don’t sit in the valley, we sit at the table. ·

Wedding Illustration:
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of conducting Johnsy and Mercedes wedding and it was an awesome day. ·
For the reception, we were at Portsea Hotel and it was setup beautifully and there was a real feeling of celebration. ·
People were relaxed and comfortable, the cups were full, their stomachs were filled with delicious food and we were there to celebrate this beautiful relationship of the bride and groom. ·
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bride who looked more smitten of her husband than Mercedes. ·
She had eyes only for Josh and as they were doing the speeches she just stared at him with this look of deep love and adoration. ·
We were all seated at the table.
**That’s the picture here in this Psalm, that we are all as God’s people, invited into those spaces of life where there is rest, and joy and provision and blessing, even in the midst of our enemies. We’re invited to the table.
Those times in life are those times where we go WOW, God you are so good to us, and what we see is a glimpse of an eternal future.
We are going to celebrate communion together today as a community in a couple of minutes.
It’s significant that it’s referred to as the Lord’s Table, because as we gather around the table as Jesus did at the Last supper He says “do this in remembrance of me”. ·

As we take the cup representing his body given for us and as we drink the cup representing His blood that was shed for our sins we look back and we remember the eternal goodness and blessing of God when the Great Shepherd became the Great Sacrifice: The Lamb of God. ·
LOOK BACK with hearts of gratitude and we LOOK FORWARD with hearts of expectation.
27Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.28This is my blood of thecovenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.29I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on UNTIL THE DAY when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Revelation 19 it tells us about that day. It describes another feast, another table, another wedding. It’s a celebration held for all of those in Christ and it happens in the midst of our enemies, BUT the very next scene describes the devil being destroyed once and for all.
It’s the wedding of Christ and us His Church. 6Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:“Hallelujah!For our Lord God Almighty reigns.7Let us rejoice and be gladand give him glory!For the wedding of the Lamb has come,and his bride has made herself ready……”9Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”
Just as Mercedes looked up to Johnsy, we will gaze upon the beauty of Christ in adoration and worship.
Psalm 23, in the same way (as communion does) reminds us that because of the Great Shepherd we can declare with eternal confidence. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life (PRESENT), and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (THAT’S OUR FUTURE).